'Trapped' documentary centers on abortion clinics' fight to stay open, Christian ob-gyn speaks
Pro-choice and pro-life advocates have had a longstanding disagreement about abortion. Recently, "Trapped," a documentary film that focuses on the struggles of reproductive health clinics to stay open despite government laws, was released, and it features a Christian ob-gyn who performs abortions because of his faith rather than in spite of it.
In a recent interview with AlterNet's Valerie Tarico, Dr. Willie Parker talked about spirituality and abortion. In what he calls "dignity restoration," he said that the care he provides includes discussions on the moral and spiritual center.
"I sense when a woman is dealing with guilt and shame and I'm offer a bridging conversation around faith and the sacred decision of whether to end her pregnancy," he said. "For many women, there is a tremendous amount of relief in not being turned away. Some are surprised that they aren't feeling judgment from me and my staff — that we see their pregnancy not as a personal and social failure but simply a biological reality."
Parker explained that he asks patients open-ended questions, he reads their body language, and he tries not to presume anything. He said that he can't proceed if a woman is conflicted or ambivalent. He has also discovered that there are those who are victims of sexual abuse.
With regard to the other reproductive care providers, he said that some "don't speak the language of faith" while some have had a bad experience of being threatened, dehumanized, and "even having colleagues murdered in the name of God."
"But for the sake of our patients, I've tried to encourage my colleagues to remain conversant in 'God talk.' Our patients have their own ways of understanding reality, and many need to address a metaphysical dimension as they process their experience. There are patients who ask their providers to pray with them," he said.
In a 2014 interview with Esquire, in the article titled "The Abortion Ministry of Dr. Willie Parker," the doctor said, "The protesters say they're opposed to abortion because they're Christian. It's hard for them to accept that I do abortions because I'm Christian. "
"Trapped" first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, where it was given the Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking. It was shown in theaters in March and has received 100 percent in Rotten Tomatoes' Tomato Meter based on 20 reviews and a Metacore of 77 in Metacritic based on 11 critic reviews.
It will still have screenings in some theaters this April and May. It will be shown in Lincoln, Nebraska until April 14; Kansas on April 12; Bellingham, Washington on April 18; Norfolk, Virginia on April 27; Tucson, Arizona on May 2; and Olympia, Washington on May 22. There are also scheduled community and festival screenings.
The synopsis of the film reads: "U.S. reproductive health clinics are fighting to remain open. Since 2010, 288 TRAP (Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers) laws have been passed by conservative state legislatures. Unable to comply with these far-reaching and medically unnecessary measures, clinics have taken their fight to the courts. As the U.S. Supreme Court decides in 2016 whether individual states may essentially outlaw abortion (Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt), Trapped follows the struggles of the clinic workers and lawyers who are on the front lines of a battle to keep abortion safe and legal for millions of American women."
